By Ann Mann
Hershel Greenblat was born in the caves of Ukraine during the Holocaust. He shared his story of survival at Barnesville First United Methodist Church where they dedicated a new daffodil garden as part of “The Daffodil Project.” The Garden commemorates the 1.5 million Jewish children who did not survive the Holocaust.
Hershel begins his story with a reflection that strikes at the heart, “Think of one child, Benjamin. A seven-year-old, whose only crime was being Jewish. What could he have become? A doctor, a teacher, a father? His life was snuffed out by hatred, a loss we commemorate with daffodils. Each bloom remembers a child who died too soon.”
Greenblat’s narrative is not just a recounting of history, it’s a journey through the unimaginable horrors of the Holocaust and the resilience of those who survived. His story begins with his parents, Abraham and Mary, young Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe who refused to succumb to despair.
In 1939, the Nazi war machine invaded Poland, enforcing the Nuremberg Laws that stripped Jews of their rights, homes, and humanity. Abraham, one of 16 children from Lublin, Poland, was the sole survivor of his family. At just 19, he went underground, resisting not with weapons but with acts of humanity: seeking food, medical supplies, and ways to educate others. Mary, 18 at the time, joined the resistance despite losing her leg to shrapnel. Together, they exemplified courage in the face of unrelenting brutality.
Hershel was born underground in the caves of Ukraine, where his family hid from both Nazi and Russian persecution. “I spent the first year of my life in the cold darkness of those caves,” he recounts. His parents’ determination to survive was tested repeatedly, including when Abraham risked his life to save Mary after her injury, leaving baby Hershel behind in hiding. “Three and a half weeks later, bandaged and on crutches, my parents returned for me.”
Hershel’s narrative weaves through the atrocities committed against Jews across Europe. From the ghettos where families were starved and humiliated to the mass killings in forests and the gas chambers of Treblinka and Belzec, he paints a harrowing picture of systematic annihilation. “Six million Jews were murdered, including 1.5 million children. My family was among them,” he says. His father’s family perished in the death camps, and his mother’s parents, siblings, and their children were shot near Kiev.
For those who survived, life remained precarious. After the war, Hershel and his family undertook a perilous 1,600-mile journey to a displaced persons camp in Austria. “I was five years old and weighed only 18 pounds,” he recalls. Yet even amidst despair, life persisted. “There were weddings, babies born, and funerals. We clung to hope.”
In 1950, the Greenblats emigrated to the United States, arriving at Ellis Island. Hershel vividly remembers seeing the Statue of Liberty for the first time: “Even as a child, I felt a sense of possibility, a sense that now, maybe, I could have a future.”
Their arrival was marked by the kindness of strangers. Red Cross volunteers handed out donuts, milk, and care packages. A third-grade teacher in Atlanta helped Hershel adapt to his new life, teaching him English and buying him his first pair of jeans. “She saved my life,” he says.
Abraham and Mary worked tirelessly to rebuild. Abraham purchased a small grocery store, repaid the loan, and spent the next 17 years helping to feed the hungry in their community. The family’s journey from persecution to prosperity exemplifies the resilience of the human spirit.
Today, Hershel shares his story to honor the memories of those who perished and to inspire future generations to combat hatred. “The daffodils we plant aren’t just flowers, they’re symbols of life stolen too soon,” he says.
His story is not only one of survival but of determination to make the world better. It’s a reminder of the devastating consequences of hatred and the enduring power of resilience and hope. He shares his story today to remind people not to look away when they see evil and injustice.
He shared the advice he gives students today. Love and respect your parents. Give your teachers the love and respect they deserve. Love and respect each other. Don’t be a bully. Don’t be a bystander when you see injustice. He says, “the world stood by and watched the murder of six million people. Don’t let it happen again.”
As we reflect on Hershel’s journey, we are reminded that it is not enough to remember. We must act to ensure such atrocities are never repeated. Each life lost was more than a statistic, it was a story, a dream, a future cut short. May we honor their memory by striving for a world where humanity triumphs over hate.
(You may view Hershel Greenblat’s presentation on the Barnesville First United Methodist Church YouTube channel. Ann Mann is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, now serving as pastor to Barnesville First United Methodist Church. You can email her at annmann@comcast.net. Her new book, “Finding Hope in the Storm,” is available on Amazon.)
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